The present invention relates generally to musical instruments and, more specifically, to a sound post installer for violins and violas.
Violins, violas and other wooden string instruments are expensive, delicate and often works of art. Many violins and violas are very rare, especially instruments such as Stradavari and Amati, and often irreplaceable. When such instruments require repair they must be handled with extreme care. This also applies to instruments that are not very rare due to the expense of such instruments.
The violin and viola typically comprise a soundbox, a neck, tuning pegs and four strings stretched over a bridge near the center of the soundbox. The top and bottom of the soundbox, called the belly and the back, respectively, are connected around their perimeter by a sidewall. When the strings are vibrated by plucking or by drawing a bow over them, the strings induce a vibrational energy through the bridge to the belly and the back of the instrument. The soundbox amplifies the vibration and produces the distinctive sounds of the violin and viola. A sound post is a thin column, typically made of pine, that is wedged between the belly and the back. The sound post must be properly set in order to obtain the richness of sound from the instrument.
The proper placement of a sound post is a difficult and tedious operation. The sound post is angled at its bottom and top to match the angle of the belly and the back. In order to replace a sound post, it must be passed diagonally through a narrow F hole located in the belly of the instrument, turned vertically and wedged into place so that it properly transmits sound. The sound post must then be rotated so that the angle of sound post meets the angles of the belly and the back.
Presently, sound posts may be installed with a wrench-type tool which usually requires the sound post to be placed in a cradle or loop. Examples of such devices may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,748 to Clayton, U.S. Pat. No. 2,522,190 to Mouser and U.S. Pat. No. 1,556,340 to Myers. Although these devices allow a sound post to be maneuvered through the F hole, they do not provide the control necessary to tightly wedge the sound post nor enough control to turn the sound post so that it meets the angles of the belly and the back. Also, if a sound post is installed and further adjustments are required, it is impossible to get the cradle or the loop back onto the installed sound post in order to turn it or adjust its vertical position.
Pliers have also been proposed to install sound posts. One such example may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 1,466,681 to Todd. The Todd pliers also require the sound post to be placed in a cradle. Although the pliers provide a firm grasp on the sound post, maneuverability is limited because the pliers are too wide to reach far enough into the F hole. As is the case with cradle or loop wrenches, the pliers are difficult to reposition back onto the sound post once removed from the violin because of the bulkiness of the pliers.
The risk of damage to the violin or viola is a very real concern since most instruments, whether rare or not, are expensive. The use of bulky pliers, cradle devices and loop devices often results in scratching or gouging the instrument because they are too big to effectively maneuver once the device is inside the instrument. Further, current prior art does not provide cushioning or padding to prevent damage to the instrument.
It is readily apparent that a new and improved sound post installer is needed that is easy to use, that allows the sound post to be turned or repositioned once installed in the soundbox and that prevents damage to the musical instrument during repairs. It is, therefore, to the provision of such an improvement that the present invention is directed.
Briefly described, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a streamlined sound post installer that allows the sound post to be easily inserted and easily adjusted to the proper position within the violin or viola. Generally, the present invention, in the preferred embodiment, comprises a handle, a prong and a positioning hook.
More specifically, the handle is an elongated rodlike member that is sized so that it may be easily inserted into the F hole and turned within the soundbox with ease. The handle is angled at one end to produce an offset in an otherwise straight member. The prong is a pointed razor sharp member located at the end of the offset. The positioning hook is located at the other end of the handle. The positioning hook may be placed anywhere along the length of the installed sound post to adjust the vertical positioning of the sound post. In order to enhance the ability to rotate the sound post installer once it is installed within the instrument, a flexible sleeve is provided to cover the positioning hook so as to firmly grab and hold the sound post as it is being rotated.
Further, the sound post installer comprises a cushion along the handle. The cushion serves to protects the musical instrument from scratches and other potential damage that can be caused when maneuvering the sound post into and out of the instrument. The cushion also provides additional grip and control for the user.
In an alternate embodiment, alternate rotational means is provided via a plurality of notches located along the interior angle of the positioning hook. As the sound post installer is turned, the notches firmly grab the sound post thereby providing the grip necessary to allow the sound post to be rotated.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound post installer that allows a sound post to be inserted into the instrument with ease.
Another feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound post installer that allows a sound post to be vertically repositioned without removing the sound post from the instrument.
A further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound post installer that allows the sound post to be rotated so that maximum contact is made between the sound post and the belly and back of the musical instrument to increase richness of musical sound.
Yet another feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound post installer that can be easily used by an inexperienced user.
A further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound post installer which may be produced at a low cost of manufacture with regard to materials and labor, thereby making the sound post installer economically available to the buying public.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description and claims when read in light of the accompanying drawings.